Wigle Whiskey

Seven Pittsburgh chefs and establishments have been named semifinalists for this year's national James Beard Foundation awards.

Whitfield, the restaurant inside the Ace Hotel in East Liberty, houses semifinalists in two categories: Casey Renee for Outstanding Pastry Chef, and Executive Chef Bethany Zozula for Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic region.

It’s another weekend full of beer, wine and … Miami Vice? WESA’s Sarah Kovash, Rachel Carlson of Yelp Pittsburgh and Josh Raulerson of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council fill you in on what’s happening in the ‘Burgh this weekend.

We know you’re itching to get a few more miles out of your favorite ugly holiday sweater and squeeze in some last-minute holiday shopping. That’s why 90.5 WESA’s Sarah Kovash, Yelp Pittsburgh’s Rachel Carlson and Josh Raulerson of the PA Environmental Council have you covered.

Election Day is over and you deserve a fun weekend. How about some chocolate, drinks and shopping? WESA’s Sarah Kovash, Yelp Pittsburgh’s Rachel and Josh Raulerson are here to fill you in on the weekend activities you need to know!

BOO! Halloween is finally here. WESA’s Josh and Sarah and Yelp Pittsburgh’s Rachel are here with all the spooky details for this weekend! We’ll tell you where to go to celebrate Halloween, plus read on for a creepy story about the Pittsburgh Community Broadcast Center.

We have all been there before. You are about to bob for apples when you start wondering how sanitary that water actually is. But you know what is even scarier than that water? Bad beer. WESA’s Josh and Sarah and Yelp Pittsburgh’s Rachel are here to let you know where you can get some good drinks this weekend and where you can bob for apples…if you dare!

“Oh this is the night, it’s a beautiful night”…to explore Pittsburgh eateries. WESA’s Josh and Sarah and Yelp Pittsburgh’s Rachel are here to break down where to take your loved one this weekend. Side note, we can’t guarantee it will be as romantic as Lady and the Tramp. That’s on you.

Did you know nearly 42 percent of Americans don’t use their vacation days? We are constantly working and it’s hard to fit in some “me” time. If you're feeling stressed at the office and need to wind down a bit, this week’s Social Club is for you. WESA’s Josh and Sarah and Yelp Pittsburgh’s Rachel are here to fill you in on all the weekend’s relaxing activities.

It is officially summertime and in case you forgot, the weather is here to remind you. Luckily for you, WESA’s Josh and Sarah and Yelp Pittsburgh’s Rachel are here to fill you in on the weekend’s summery events.

The snow has finally melted and the temperatures have risen (albeit a little). So now it's time to brace the outside and find some good food and brews! WESA Digital Editor Sarah Kovash hosts this week, with Yelp Pittsburgh's Rachel Carlson.

If you like drinking and learning, this Thursday night, head over to the Heinz History Center for Tipsy History. Sip on Wigle Whiskey and check out the Glass: Shattering Notions exhibit, focusing on Pittsburgh's glass-making history.

Twenty bushels of apples get dumped onto a conveyor belt at Soergel’s Orchards in Wexford. After a quick wash, they’re ground into a pulp and squeezed under 55 tons of pressure to make 110 gallons of cider.

Larry Voll, one of the owners of Soergel’s Orchards, said the cider is going to Arsenal Cider House in Lawrenceville. The juice that he sells to Arsenal to make into hard cider will one day end up back at the Wexford farm, at the Arsenal tap room, which just opened this summer.

Baby showers go on forever. “Diaper Parties” (what?) are boring. So let’s go out this weekend.

Pittsburgh Comedy Festival starts August 27th and runs through the 29th. Laughter is good for the soul so come on down to the Henry Heymann Theater in Oakland to enjoy comedy from local comics and national comics. Todd Glass, who has appeared on “Last Comic Standing” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”will be there (27th and 28th), Bombardo, Audrey Plaza’s (“Parks and Recreation”) female improve group will perform Friday night.

If you’re the type of person to leave a bowl of candy on your porch and head out to party on Halloween, you may want to consider the Carnegie Science Center’s special adults-only event this Friday evening.

The center hosts 21+ events on the last Friday of each month, and this month’s Halloween theme is “Spirits and Spirits,” presented in collaboration with Wigle Whiskey, Maggie’s Farm Rum and Independent Brewing Company.

In the past, the United States has faced a shortage of various products, such as oil. Now, according to publications such as the Smithsonian and Esquire, the nation is facing a new type of shortage-whiskey.

Demand for the drink is way out in front of the distilleries’ ability to produce. Meredith Grelli co-owns Wigle Whiskey in the Strip District, she came across town to talk about the great whiskey shortage and whiskey history in Pittsburgh.

Grelli noted that the shortage is due to the popularity of whiskey coming back in a big way.

“As Americans, we’ve sort of gone through this evolution. We were really interested in wine for awhile, and got very educated about wine. Then we became home brewers, and became very interested in beer, and that continues. And now it feels like spirits are kind of the final frontier.”

Each weekend Wigle Whiskey, located in the Strip District, offers distillery tours connecting whiskey lovers to Pittsburgh history. On the tour, Meredith Grelli tells 2 stories. The first is a story about turning organic rye grains into whiskey. The other is about the distillery’s namesake, the rebellious Philip Wigle; who almost died for the sake of whiskey. Here’s a taste of the Wigle tour.

This segment of Essential Pittsburgh originally aired on August 23, 2012